Elevator systems are useful for carrying passengers between various levels in a building. There are various type of elevator systems. Some are referred to as traction-based systems because they rely upon traction between a drive sheave and hoisting ropes to move and position the elevator car as desired. Elevator machines in traction-based systems include a motor and a brake. There are a variety of known brake configurations.
Supplemental brakes for conventional elevator machines are known. Some elevator codes require braking functions that are not provided by older machines. Supplemental brakes can be added to meet such code requirements. One type of supplemental brake is referred to as a rope grabber because it provides a mechanism for clamping onto the roping arrangement. A rope grabber prevents the roping arrangement from moving, which maintains a current position of an elevator car within a hoistway, for example.
One drawback associated with rope grabber braking devices is that they need to be positioned below the machine. This requires taking up space within the hoistway or raising the machine up within a machine room to provide adequate spacing for the rope grabber below the machine. Either alternative is undesirable because of inconvenience and the amount of space that it requires.